Addressing Plastic Pollution on Wassaw Island

Wassaw Island is a 10,000 acre wildlife refuge on Georgia’s
coast. This island is only accessible by boat and relatively undisturbed by
humans. My science class took a trip to this island to wrap up our unit on
pollution. We spent the day sweeping the beach for trash and learning about the
debris we collected. Although many types of debris were present, the biggest
pollutant was plastic. We found everything from disposable water bottles to
trash bags so buried in the sand that we could not remove them. This came as no
surprise to me, but it did help me visualize how big this problem is even in my
own backyard.

Plastic is one of the greatest contributors to water
pollution. In fact, about 8 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean every
year and this number is estimated to increase. Plastic and other ocean
pollutants can take hundreds or even thousands of years to decompose. Even
after it has broken down, the tiny microplastics that are created continue to
cause harm to organisms. As part of our hands on learning experience we had the
opportunity to see the microplastics under a microscope. This shows that even if we can slow down the
source of the pollution, the harm we have already done will not cease to have
consequences.

Obviously, most of the ocean pollutants come from the land so
clearly there is a way for humans to assist in a solution. One way would be to
produce and use less plastic. If we switch to more environmentally friendly
materials, less plastic will be able to reach the ocean. While this does not
fix the damage already caused, it does stop it from getting worse.
Another way is to have more beach cleanups like the one my class participated
in this year. This can stop plastic pollution before it finds its way into the
water. Bringing awareness to this issue is the first step to finding a
solution. In my own community, many restaurants have stopped using plastic
drinking straws and a ban on plastic bags has been discussed. If more
communities began to go down this route, we could put a huge dent in our
pollution problem.

Editor's Note: Kyra Stillwagon is an inaugural EarthEcho Water
Challenge Ambassador, a group of young leaders working to engage
their communities in water quality monitoring and conservation efforts while
increasing their knowledge of water science and gaining skills to expand their
work in this field. To learn how you can join Kyra in taking action to protect
waterways in your community, check out our EarthEcho Water Challenge resources.